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Denison council accepts mayor's resignation

New mayor sworn in Monday night; new council members appointed

Audrey Oliverius has resigned as Denison mayor in advance of a recall election.

The Denison City Council on Monday night during a special meeting accepted the resignation of Mayor Audrey Oliverius, who faced a voter recall Aug. 5, and also appointed two people to vacant council seats.

“I think it went very well,” said Vickie Wold, who was selected to fill one of the seats. “There were five people who showed up (to be considered for the seat). That’s great.”

Ed Hindman, who in previous years has served on the city council and as mayor, also was appointed to fill a vacancy.

Council president Bruce Sweany was sworn in as the acting mayor.

Wold was the signature sponsor of the petition to remove Oliverius from the mayoral position.

The petition states Oliverius on March 10 called an executive session at the end of a regularly scheduled city council meeting. She dismissed the public and the city clerk from the meeting. On April 3, the Denison city clerk received an email from the mayor telling the city clerk what to add to the March 10 minutes for the executive session, the petition states.

“This record shows that a motion was made and a vote was taken in executive session,” the petition states. Kansas’ open meetings law forbids voting on binding actions in closed session.

In previous Topeka Capital-Journal articles, Oliverius said she didn’t receive formal training from the city or Jackson County, which is where Denison is located.

“During my tenure, no formal training or instruction has ever been provided by anyone from the city of Denison or Jackson County,” she wrote in a response to the recall petition. “I have asked for the charter, by-laws and any documentation of guidance for elected positions and was told by (the) city clerk at the time that there are no such documents.”

Sweany and council members Marilyn Seeger and Harold McAlexander signed the petition of recall. Oliverius’ brother-in-law, Terry Oliverius, a council member, didn’t sign the petition.

Seeger earlier announced she will leave her council seat because she is moving. Council members will appoint a person to fill her position soon, Wold said.

In April, the city’s office was closed because the city clerk, city treasurer and utility supervisor all resigned. The city offices reopened briefly when the city hired a new clerk. However, the clerk resigned after serving a short time. A new utilities supervisor was hired.

At Monday’s meeting, the council also hired Yvonne Hamer as the city clerk, Wold said. Hamer has served as city clerk in the past.

The council will make a decision on a city treasurer soon. The treasurer can be a volunteer, Wold said.

“We have a lot of work to do to get things straightened out,” she said.

The city council’s next meeting will be Aug. 11.

Voters will still vote on the recall Aug. 5 because advance voting already has started, Jackson County Clerk Kathy Mick said.